Hello Ace,

Thxs for the GoM chart. Interesting to examine the lost production downward spikes from the hurricanes. They seem to be getting deeper and slightly wider over time. This seems to make sense if one considers that rigs & platforms are moving ever more miles offshore and requiring ever more infrastructure to get the oil and/or natgas back to land.

Then, when a Caribbean and/or GoM hurricane forms: you need to shutdown production that much earlier so that the crews have sufficient evac time for the long helo-flight or boatride back to shore, plus the multiplier factor of that many more rigs & platforms scattered all over the ocean. Especially since it is so damn hard to precisely predict where the 'Cane will go; you can't take the chance of having a far offshore rigcrew trying to topride out a CAT 5.

Then, after the 'Cane passes, it now takes longer to re-crew, repair, and restart production. Makes one think that having some submarines may be safer and cheaper than helicopters, as it would allow the crew to work longer before locking down the rig, then safely ride out the storm 200ft down, then quickly getting back to work once the all clear signal is given. If their drill-rig sinks: they still have a safe and comfortable sub ride back to shore vs a pitching boat on the high seas.

Bob Shaw in Phx,Az Are Humans Smarter than Yeast?